Twenty Before Twenty-One

Wow I'm really stinking at this whole "post every day" thing lately, huh? I justify it by the fact that I've been working on several of my "twenty before twenty-one" goals - which I'll post about later.

In the mean time, I figure that since I turned 20 over a month ago, it was about time I shared my "twenty before twenty-one" goals on here!

1. Get a vehicle

2. Learn how to scrap book + complete a 2014 scrapbook

3. Take at least two college classes

4. Get a tattoo

5. Get my own place

6. Get my own cat

7. Take at least six road trips (day trips count!)

8. Do more photography

9. Get a musketeer hat and sword

10. Go to Bristol Ren Faire more than twice!

11. Loose 25-30lb

12. Get better at horseback riding

13. Get rid of all the crap I own that I don't need/use

14. Bake more

15. Go to school to become a counselor

16. Send out Christmas cards

17. Learn how to keep my room clean for more than two weeks

18. Get my FOID card

19. Read my Bible regularly

20. Learn to swing dance and Renaissance country dance

Summer Day Dreams

Lately I find myself longing for summer. I miss driving with the windows down (and not slipping all over the road), being able to walk outside without my cute outfit being hidden by a jacket, and just going out and doing things. Winter just seems like such a dull time for me. Everyone in the retail world is broke because none of us have many hours, the roads are bad, and even if you can go out it's just not as fun. Plus this lack of sunlight is seriously killing my mojo. Right now I'm dreaming of sunny, sixty-degree weather. (Who am I kidding?? I'd love to see 50!)

So right now I'm looking at some of my favorite pictures from last summer, and dreaming of the suns warmth. At least it's almost February. I can handle February pretty well, but January is seriously the worst. It's definitely the biggest "Monday" of the year.

In other news tomorrow the store I work at is doing inventory so wish me luck!

Team Dean Forever

So apparently one week is how long it takes me to run out of things to post. I even missed yesterday, which sucks. I think it's primarily because my life has been so boring lately. I've done very little besides work and watch TV. All my shows have come back at once and it's awesomely awful.

It doesn't help that - against my better judgement - I started Supernatural. And then yesterday one of Maddie's friends from church got her started on it, which led to us spending most of our Monday afternoon/evening watching Supernatural and avoiding posting by googling Dean Winchester gifs. So I figured, "why not write a post on Dean so I can use some of these awesome gifs I'm finding!?" So here we go:

Why I Love Dean Winchester

Since my first or second episode I've known that I will be a Team Dean member for forever. He's handsome, confident (most of the time), hilarious and witty, and drives an awesome car. What's not to love?? Plus he's a big brother looking after his little brother, which I can completely relate to (except, you know, sisters, not brothers).

It's not that I dislike Sam, Dean is just my favorite. I think I see a lot of myself in him. He puts up this facade of being so confident and fearless all the time, when really he gets scared a lot - especially of what will happen to Sam - and he even gets lonely at times.

Dean's family is the most important thing in his life and he's willing to do anything to protect them - which I love. I told Anna the other day that he's probably the worst bad boy ever. He has all the appearances of it - the leather jacket, devil-may-care attitude, he drinks and sleeps around - but at the end of the day all he wants is to keep his family safe, and he would jump off a bridge if his dad told him to. He's like Tony Stark meets Beth March. I just love the complexity of his character. ♥

So, ok, there's my post. Not the best I've ever done, but it's one, and it's finished, and it's 12:12am and I am going to bed. Hope you all have a great week! See you tomorrow.

Rebel // What I Wore

{shirt//F21 :: sweater//thrifted :: leggins//Lysse Leggings :: boots//local boutique :: bag//Emma Fox via T.J. Maxx :: necklace//local boutique :: hair clip//gift}

How was everyone's Saturday? Work was really slow and we had way too many people scheduled to work, so I actually got to go home pretty early - which was rather nice. I went to lunch with my sister, and bought my kitty some new bowls - I love spoiling him.

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with a friend for breakfast before church and then I have no plans for the afternoon. So I probably clean my room, no? And of course there will be a heavy dose of Supernatural and Being Human - I mean, that goes without saying, right? I hope so.

♥ ♥ ♥Hope everyone's weekend is great! ♥ ♥♥

Dos and Don'ts of the Renaissance Faire

Having gone to the renaissance faire five years in a row, there are a few things I've picked up. Here are some of my "dos" and "don'ts" of the renaissance faire:

DO stay hydrated

Most renaissance faires in the United States take place outside in the summer with little to no air conditioning available. Not drinking enough water will not only be very dangerous, but it will effect your fun. A hydrated body is a healthy, happy, pain-free body ready to have fun. I've found the best way to make sure I stay hydrated is to bring a container for water so I don't have to limit myself to quick sips at the drinking fountain. (I also found that when I brought something to drink from, I spent a lot less on soda.) I go in costume, so I chose to bring a wooden tankard that hung from my belt last year, and it worked really well. I just filled it up at the drinking fountain every time I passed, and carried it around with me while I finished it off. If you don't go in costume you can always just bring a water bottle. And while we're on the subject of water, some faires have a special, members only garden that comes with bottomless Gatorade and filtered water. The one at Bristol Ren Faire is $35 for the year, or - if you're only going one day - $5 to test it out. I did that last year and it was well worth it in my experience.

DON'T try to cram everything you want to do into one day

If you're just a casual faire goer, and everything you want to see/do will fit into one day nicely, than great! All the power to you! But if there is a lot of stuff that you're interested in and/or some of it overlaps each other, take the extra day and go a whole weekend. You won't feel as pressured to rush from here to there so you don't miss x, which will leave you more relaxed, and more able to enjoy your time at the faire. Trust me. I've done it both ways and learned from my mistakes.

DO role play

This is something that I was really hesitant to do the first four years I went, but after reading Easy Street by AE last year I decided to give it a go, and I've never had so much fun at the faire before! For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the term "role play," it basically just means to get into character - to walk, talk, eat, etc. like your character would. For street performers at the faire this is a big part of their day, for playtrons (patrons that go in costume) it's not as important to stay in character, but it can be fun to play along as a character every now and then.

On my last visit to the renaissance faire I saw a gentleman in a shirt that looked like the Doctor's suit and tie. Unable to resist the temptation I went up to him and - in my best Elizabethan speech - asked him if he was "the man they call the Doctor." He decided to play along, and said yes, then -when I inquired as to where his blue box was - he told me that it was parked in the parking lot. Lol! It was just a brief moment, but things like that is what makes the renaissance faire so much fun! So definately don't be afraid to role play.

DON'T over do it on the junk food

I cannot stress this one enough! It's right up there with "stay hydrated." On one of my trips last year me and my group made the unfortunate mistake of not drinking enough water and eating too much fried food. The result was not a stomach ache or anything like that, we just felt super tired, groggy and all around "blah!" all day. So my advice is to definitely go slow on the fried stuff, and maybe pack some veggies in a cooler in the car. You can get your hand stamped to so you can come back in if you run out to your car, and then you will be properly fueled for a day of fun.

Well, those are some of biggest, best, and most important tips as far the the glorious ren faire is concerned. If you have any other tips I'd love to hear them! One of the fun things about the faire is that you're never done learning. *winks*

Nerdy by Nature // What I Wore

(me holding my imaginary blaster)

{skirt//Plato's Closet :: sweatshirt//F21 :: boots//Dansko :: necklace//Christmas gift}

I'm really bummed that these photos turned out so grainy, because I just loved this outfit. It just felt like the perfect combination of nerdy and sophisticated. And how about the TARDIS necklace!? It was a Christmas gift from my friend Rachel, and I just love it. Thank you, dear! I love that we both got the other one something Doctor Who related. 

In other news it's almost the weekend and even though I have to work Saturday I'm still excited. This will be my third Sunday off in a row (*hallelujah chorus plays*), which almost never happens, which is great. Sunday is one of my favorite days of the week - especially now that I no longer teach Sunday school every week. I'll get to sleep in, attend church, and generally just spend a nice, relaxing day off work. I can't wait!

Why I Love the Renaissance Faire

As soon as the new year hits I always start day dreaming for summer - more specifically, the renaissance faire. And since I'm doing a 30 day blog challenge with Anna, I thought this would be a perfect time to do a series of renaissance faire-themed posts. Today I'm going to talk about just why I love the renaissance faire so much.

1. The Atmosphere

Right from the moment you step into a faire you'll know that it's different. It's far enough back from the road that there are no sounds of cars. There's no blinking, or flashing, or electronics sounds. The loudest sounds are of people talking, yelling, shouting or singing; and the quieter sounds are of birds, the wind through the trees, and footsteps in the dirt. It seems completely shut off from the modern world, and I love that. There's nothing like spending a day away from the 21st century.

2. The Clothing

While we're on the subject of getting away from the 21st century, there's just nothing like slipping into a bodice and long skirts, with your chemise sleeves adding a good six inches to each side of your arm. It just makes you feel like a new person - like you've stepped into the body of your favorite fantasy or sci-fi character.

3. The Pretend

After you slip on your lovely garb comes the fun part - actually stepping into the life of your character! At the renaissance faire you can be anybody, and it is so much fun - especially when the employees help you out! Every time I go to the renaissance faire there are at least a few gentlemen who will stop and bow and offer up a "good day, my lady" it makes the whole experience so much more real. It makes it even more fun when you play back. Last year - for reasons we won't get into now - my sister and my cousins and I decided to cheer for the "villains" instead of the "heroes" of Bristol. After the last show when they, inevitably, lost to the heroes, I went up to the lead villain and - in my best English accent - told him how sorry I was to see his lordship lose. The actor was a total gem, kissed my hand and told me that my support meant the world to him. Seriously - it was one of the highlights of my day.

4. The Drama

I've always been a sci-fi/fantasy girl. Growing up the Lord of the Rings was my favorite movie/book and the soundtrack was my favorite music. I couldn't begin to count how many hours I spent watching/reading/daydreaming about kings and archers, quests and sword fights. And when I was fifteen I found a place that was as close as I could get to that in real life. Where else can  you sit next to Robin Hood right before Guy of Gisborne shows up and the duel it out??

5. The Food

Everybody knows about the renaissance faire's long-standing tradition of serving turkey legs, but there's a lot of other great food to be had there, too! Some of my favorites are:

• the cornish dogs (know as "bagel dogs" in the 21st century)
• the whole pickles on a popsicle stick
• the butterfly potatoes (a fun twist on kettle cooked crisps)
• and the pretzels which are sold by a man wondering the faire with a tall wooden pole full of them.

My favorite, most anticipated part of the faire, however, is sasafras! For you poor souls who don't know what sassafras is, it's root beer with black licorice flavoring. Even my little sister who hates both root beer and black licorice loves it! Maybe it's the intense sun and heat of the faire every year, but I swear there is not a cooler, more refreshing drink on the planet.

6. The People

My last, and most favorite thing about the renaissance faire is the people. Never before in my life have a met a nicer, more welcoming, more ready to get down and have fun group of people. From the moment you walk in and there are people waiting to give you directions; to the gentleman who asks you if you're a princess because you're wearing the royal color, purple; to the last song on the balcony above the exit, these people show up to work every day determined to make sure that you and I have the best time there that we possibly can.